


The Church-lamb

by Rook_Rabble



Category: Danish Folklore - Fandom
Genre: Animal Sacrifice, Buried Alive, church, guardian animal, lamb - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 14:50:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20027605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rook_Rabble/pseuds/Rook_Rabble
Summary: When alive, he was harmless when died he was scared, but when he returned, he was untouchable. He bears the sins of the world, and perhaps soon your fate. He's the church-lamb, he who keeps all evil at bay from holy ground, nor troll, nor demon can pass him.





	1. buried live & but came back

**Author's Note:**

> Phrases with underline ___________ my comment.

**The Church-lamb **

The Church-lamb (kirkelammet in Danish), also called the ''corpse-lamb'', is the ghost a lamb which was said to have been buried alive under the foundation of a church, encircled or buried alive at the inauguration of a cemetery. The lamb may also have previously designated the place where the new church was to be built. The lamb is not only seen in the cemetery, but also inside the church and in the parish. The church-lamb lived in the church itself, where it had its home in the attic or in the tower. In many churches at Christmas or New Year times, new and fresh hay was laid up for the lamb. The sacrificed lamb should keep the evil away, ''Yeah believe it or not, but this tiny lamb ain't spooked of any witch or troll, bring it on!!'' because when churches were built around the country, the supernatural forces went against all power. The arboretum was disturbed and what was built during the day was often torn down at night. It was therefore necessary to bring a building sacrifice in order for the work of the church to be completed without obstacles.

When Church-lamb appeared, someone in the parish was to die. It didn't have to be the one who saw or met the Church-lamb, it might as well be someone else, but often the Church-lamb itself visited the one who was to die. It could convey its message either by dancing outside the door, where the deceased should come from, or by going to the sick and looking at them for an extended period of time. The Church-lamb has also been seen jumping around in the cemetery to designate a burial place. When it had found a suitable grave place to be, it went to get the one to be buried there. ''By all the gates of hell!! That lamb is a cold-blooded mafioso, it not only foresees death, it sets the time and place for whoever is to be stuffed into the ground''. It could be rubbing itself up the person's leg, so no doubt was possible anymore and one could fix his problems or maybe write the last will. ''your a deadman walking, it's over dude, your might as well move on''

The Church-lamb is called a church-grim or (kirkevare in Danish) the word '' vare = warning in Danish language, the word ''Kirkevare'' is a direct translation to the English ''Church grime '' The church-lamb can be recognized by its long white wool, it goes all the way to the ground, where the wool is drawn after it. The lamb is slightly larger than an ordinary lamb, and has only tree legs.

**The legend lives on**

In the attic of Simmerbølle Church is found the dried legs of a lamb and in the attic of Tullebølle Church two lambs feet, and a bull calfs penis is found. ''it the true, about the bull penis, I swear!, i have no idea, who this people was'' There is still few tales of the church-lamb that is still told on the old farms and churches in Denmark.


	2. Kværndrup church/Old Anne/Poul Jørgenson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reaper in wool  
Silent death  
Spirited away

**The Church-lamb in Kværndrup **

Kværndrup church (built in 1150) is located in Kværndrup town just outside Svenborg in southern Denmark.

In Kværndrup it is said that in the old days it was custom that every new year, you had to lay a new bed of fresh hay in the church tower for the church-lamb. The old deacon, Visbeck in Kværndrup said that he had often seen the Church-lamb go out before dark and collect someone. It could also be seen on the crows sitting silently in the ash trees around the Kværndrup church, from which edge the first dead would come, namely from the side that the lamb disappeared to, and the crows' screams followed it.

** Old Anne **

Birthe an old woman from Lundby on Funen, would one day visit her friend Anne. Anne was seriously ill and therefore lay in bed. In order to save her old legs, Birthe took a shortcut over the cemetery. As she walked there, she noticed that something was traveling next to her. Now and then it rubbed up on her skirt. She thought it was a dog or a cat that had strayed into the cemetery, but it kept following her. Eventually she lashed out after it. Only then did she realize that it was a lamb. However, it immediately disappeared before her eyes. Birthe was now very sad and sighed for herself: ''Now we'll see. Now Anne is probably dead''. When she reached Anne's house, it turned out to be right. Anne was dead.

**Poul Jørgenson **

In Pederstrup, Søndre-Højrup Parish on Funen, lived a man named Poul Jørgen. One evening when he and his little son had been feeding the horse for the night, they met a lamb in the yard. It went close past his son, but slipped up to Poul Jørgen. when they entered the living room, Poul Jørgen sat down. Hans did not say a word, but it was clear that he was very sad. His wife asked if he was sick, but he answered no. After a while he said to his son: ''I had so hoped, that I would have been longer with you, my boy''. then he told his wife that he and the son had met the Church-lamb in the courtyard. But the boy hadn't seen the lamb, even though it went right past him. Shortly after this evening the boy died. So it was not Poul Jørgen's death, the Church-lamb had predicted, but the son's.


End file.
